1Muscle; tendon; a fibrous tissue in the body used for force and movement.
毎朝ジョギングして、脚の筋を鍛えている。
I go jogging every morning to strengthen the muscles in my legs.
重い物を持ったら、腰の筋が痛くなった。
After lifting something heavy, my lower back muscles started to hurt.
うっかり足の筋を違えてしまい、しばらく歩けなかった。
I accidentally pulled a muscle in my leg and couldn't walk for a while.
2A vein or artery; tube-like vessel. Also used for thin blood-vessel-like lines seen in food or tissues.
魚の身に白い筋が走っているのが見える。
You can see white veins (lines) running through the fish meat.
手の甲の筋が浮き出ているのは運動のあとだからだ。
The veins on the back of the hand are prominent because of exercise.
3A fiber or string; a thin, thread-like piece or strand.
セロリの筋を取ってから切ると食べやすい。
Celery is easier to eat if you remove the fibrous strings before cutting it.
織物の筋がそろっていると品質が良く見える。
Uniform fibers/threads in the fabric make it look high quality.
4A line, stripe, or streak; a visible linear mark or pattern.
壁に水の筋ができて、塗装がはげてきた。
Water streaks formed on the wall and the paint has started to peel.
彼のシャツは縦筋の模様だ。
His shirt has a vertical stripe pattern.
包丁で切ると、果肉に筋が見えることがある。
When you cut it with a knife, you can sometimes see streaks/lines in the flesh.
5Reasoning or logic; the line of argument that makes sense (as in 'to be logical').
その説明は筋が通っているから、信じてもいいと思う。
The explanation is logical, so I think it's believable.
言い訳よりも筋道を立てて話してほしい。
I want you to explain it with proper reasoning rather than excuses.
議論の筋を簡潔にまとめてください。
Please summarize the line of argument succinctly.
6The plot or storyline; the main sequence of events in a story.
映画の筋が単純で、子どもでも楽しめる。
The movie's plot is simple, so even children can enjoy it.
小説の筋を先にメモしてから執筆を始めた。
I jotted down the plot of the novel first before starting to write.
ドラマの筋立てが予想外で面白かった。
The drama's plot development was unexpected and interesting.
7Lineage or descent; family background or genealogy.
彼は武士の筋に連なる家の出だと聞いた。
I heard he comes from a family descended from samurai.
家の筋を調べるために戸籍をたどった。
I traced the family register to investigate our lineage.
8A school, faction, or circle (of art, scholarship, etc.); a particular tradition or group.
茶道の筋に詳しい師匠から教わった。
I learned from a master who is knowledgeable in the tea ceremony circle.
この研究は、同じ筋の学者たちの間で進められている。
This research is being advanced among scholars of the same school.
9Aptitude or talent; natural bent or suitability (often used in phrases like '筋がいい').
彼女は料理の筋がいいから、すぐに上達した。
She has a knack for cooking, so she improved quickly.
この仕事は根気がいるが、向き不向きの筋もある。
This job requires perseverance, and there's also an element of suitability.
10A source or channel of information; a circle or network through which information or contacts flow.
その噂は工事の筋から入ってきた情報だ。
That rumor came from sources within the construction circle.
その件は警察の筋にも伝わっているようだ。
It seems the matter has reached the police channels as well.
11A well-informed person or insider in a particular trade or industry; someone with inside knowledge.
詳しいことはその筋の人に聞いてみよう。
Let's ask someone who is an insider for the details.
その筋の人が言うには、計画はまだ確定していないらしい。
According to an insider, the plan hasn't been finalized yet.
12A sound or effective move/technique in games like go or shogi; a good strategic move.
初心者はまず基本的な手筋を覚えるべきだ。
Beginners should first learn the basic tactical moves.
その局面での最善手は、手筋の知識があれば分かる。
The best move in that position is clear if you know the standard techniques.
13In shogi, the ninth vertical file (the ninth column); a board-position term.
飛車を９筋に入れて、攻めを強めた。
He moved his rook to the ninth file to strengthen the attack.
14A seam or ridge on a helmet (kabuto) — a line-like joint; an archaic usage.
古い兜の筋に歴史の傷跡が残っている。
Marks of history remain along the seam of the old helmet.
15An abbreviated term for a type of gristly fish paste (made using muscle, tendon, skin, etc.), as in 'すじ蒲鉾'.
居酒屋で出されたのは、地方名物の筋だった。
What was served at the izakaya was the local specialty called 'suji' (gristly fish paste).
16An archaic term for social position or status; used historically and rarely in modern Japanese.
古文書には、家の筋を示す記述が残っている。
Old documents contain descriptions indicating the family's social standing.
17Used as a suffix meaning 'along' (e.g., 川筋 = along the river; 道筋 = along the road).
川筋を歩くと気持ちがいい。
It's pleasant to walk along the riverbank.
道筋を確認してから出発しよう。
Let's check the route before we depart.
18A suffix/counter for long thin things (〜suji). Also used in directions to count roads/blocks (e.g., ３筋目 = the third street).
この板は長さと筋を数えて梱包してください。
Please count the lengths/strips of these boards and pack them.
駅から三筋目を右に曲がると店が見えますよ。
Turn right at the third street from the station and you'll see the shop.
19A suffix used in Osaka place names to denote streets (e.g., Sakaisuji, Midosuji).
御堂筋は大阪の有名な大通りだ。
Midosuji is a famous main avenue in Osaka.
20An archaic Edo-period counter for units of old currency (mon). Now completely obsolete and never used in actual writing today.